The Hindu : Ensure speedy disposal of cases, lower courts told

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Feb 29, 2004

Tamil Nadu

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Ensure speedy disposal of cases, lower courts told

By Our Staff Reporter

SATTUR, FEB.28. The lower courts in the country, which formed the foundation of the judiciary, should ensure speedy disposal of cases at a reasonable cost for litigants so as to sustain the rule of law and democracy, the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, Justice B. Subhashan Reddy, said today.

Unveiling a commemorative pillar at the centenary celebrations of the District Munsif Court here, he said, "Only then people will repose confidence in judiciary and approach courts and not seek other means for justice".

Stating that all sub-courts were controlled only by the High Court, he said there was no interference from outside agents. The Indian judiciary offered judicial officers an absolute authority to adjudicate independently.

"Verdicts by the trial courts were final and binding and could be reviewed only by superior courts," he said. However, in the United States, criminal and civil disputes were decided by the jury, which had members even without a legal background.

The Indian judiciary was strong enough to sustain independence and it had an in-built safety mechanism provided by the Constitution, he said, adding that if any one of the three pillars - competent legislative body, an active executive and a responsive judiciary - failed, the very democracy would be in danger.

Stating that the lower courts, which were dealing with litigations at the basic level, were the original pillars of judiciary, he said that they had a "greater responsibility in sustaining the rule of law and democracy".

Releasing a souvenir, the Madras High Court Judge Justice, K. Govindarajan said that even when other pillars of the democracy were "ruined," it was only the judiciary, which ensured an individual freedom, and protected the sovereignty of the nation.

Planting a sapling to mark the centenary celebration, the Madras High Court Judge Justice K. Raviraja Pandian lauded the court officials, lawyers and the staff for maintaining a higher rate of case disposal. Out of the 57,075 cases, in over 100 years, the court disposed of 56,906 cases, leaving only 169 pending cases.

The Virudhunagar Principal District Judge, T. Duraisamy, the Collector, A. Mohammed Aslam, the Superintendent of Police, N. Arivuselvam, and the Sattur Bar Association president, V.J.V. Raja, spoke.

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